I remember when I was little that I loved being in the dirt. I suspect like most kids I probably tried to eat it, too. 2012 was the third year of my Washington vegetable garden, in the yard out behind our showroom. The garden has flourished from composted chicken manure and obsessive deep digging over the last two years. Because of a cool, wet spring I wasn't sure how well things would turn out. But by the end of August, I was full of pride and joy. As winter begins now we are still eating hardy winter green salads, herbs, peas, beets, cauliflower, broccoli, chard and kale. Our seasonal harvest also included tomatoes, onions, garlic, cucumbers, squashes, rhubarb, peppers, and beans. We have had great meals and put away a lot treasures, like long garlic braids. Some of the magic of gardening is that every year is new and somehow different. In 2012 the bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies were my joy. I lucked out with a good mix of insect attracting flowers and companion planting, I think, as I had few pests. My four chickens continue to provide essential comedy, in addition to consuming bugs and laying eggs. I am always brushing the dirt from my pants, but this good black wonderful dirt is giving me the time of my life!
